The Dirt Roads
by stardust1173
Summary: NejiOC maybe a little OOCness but I'm not sure. FLUFF! DRUGS! NO LEMON OR LIME! hahaha! to all you flamers! Naruto is not mine..... This is the full story! Rated Teen for drug use, that is all.


Kina is the name of my made up character and is also one of my alter personalities. Anyone who flames this story will be getting a response from her. And I can promise you she will cuse you out to no end if you are mean. Be constructive if you want to tell me I'm doing a bad job.

If you like this I do not recommend my other stories on here. They are pretty much crap and I hate them all but Kina wrote them and refuses to let me delete them. She helped a little on this one but I did most of the work. It is a Fluff after all! Also I'm sorry if Neji is out-of-character. I tried my best! Leave me alone! hides under desk Jsut read please.

The Paths We Follow Neji/Kina Fluff

The dirt roads, every day it's different. Maybe dark or light, maybe wet or dry, maybe blowing up in your face or staying still, there might even be trash or obstacles here and there. But no matter how long it is or who's on it, the dirt road always comes to an end, always.

"You're late." The shady figure beneath a distant tree calls out.

"I haven't been sleeping well." Is the brown hairs response, her green eyes show signs of sleepiness.

"You will tonight. You got it?" The figure remains unmoving.

"Yeah." The girl reaches in her back pocket and holds up a thick envelope.

"Good, very good." The figure flickers behind her and she doesn't even react. A quick exchange takes place and the girl shoves a small bundle into her pocket in place of the envelope. "So how are things Kina?" She just sighs at the hooded man.

"They keep getting onto me. It's bumming me out. Hokage-sama is even cutting back my missions."

"Well don't work to hard."

"Right, see you next month Cypress." He flickers out of sight and Kina sighs again. "Guess I've got nothing to do today." She turns heel and walks lethargically back into the village.

"Hey! Kina!" A female voice calls out and she stops walking. "You want to train with us today?"

"That's okay Tenten, you go. I've got some stuff to do."

"A-alright then. See you around!" Tenten waves and her smile turns to concern as Kina walks away. "What could be her problem?"

"Tsunade-sama cut back her missions." Neji replies, also watching Kina's back slowly get further away.

"Really? I wonder why…" Neji just shrugs and starts walking to the training grounds. He knew the reason and it tore him up inside. He could see through the long sleeves, cover up, fake smiles… She was addicted. She was addicted and he couldn't do anything. That was the worse part about it. "Neji…" He looks up to his teammate. "You're making strange faces, are you okay?"

"Yeah, let's get to work." He says and takes his fighting stance.

Kina pushes open her door slowly and fits it back into place. This day, this week in fact was a little more than she could handle. It was all more than she could handle. The smiles and laughter were empty. For so long she had pretended with the hope of finally being happy one day, but three months ago she gave up on her hope and found something new. She found Cypress. She found addiction. And she didn't even care. Anything to escape the lies she had built up around her.

She sighs as the needle slides into her arm. The liquid gushes into her blood stream and she quickly shoves her needle and tubing into its box, locks it, and pushes it under her dresser before laying back on her bed, waiting for the euphoria to take over.

"Neji, hey…Neeeeeejiiiiiiiii……" Tenten waves her hand in front of her teammates face. "You're really out of it today, maybe you should go home." She beams.

"Yeah, see ya Tenten." Neji stands and walks back into the village. 'Is it so hard to see? That mask is so frail, so thin it could shatter any moment. And I wish it would. I want the old Kina back. I need her back…' Neji stops and realizes he's right by her apartment building. 'I should check on her. She would do the same for me if our positions were switched. She would be a good friend…' He takes a deep breath and heads up to her apartment.

"Kina." He knocks on the door lightly and listens closely for any sounds. When none come, he tests the door to find it unlocked and proceeds inside. What he finds almost makes him sick to his stomach. Kina lies in a haze on the floor, her breathing rushed and thin limbs trembling like trees caught in a high wind. He knew she was on a trip and there was no way she was coming back until the drugs ran out of her system. He wraps her tightly in a blanket and lifts her back onto the bed before moving to leave.

"I'm sorry." She whispers lightly. He stops and turns to her. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there… I wanted to… Neji… sorry…" Her eyes close and he clenches his fists.

'She doesn't act sorry! If she really was sorry she would stop! You would stop, you have to… I'll find a way…' He relaxes his hands and shuts the door quietly behind him, leaving Kina to her delusions.

"Oh…" Kina groans and holds her head. 'What a trip… wait, why was Neji here? Did I imagine that? What did I say to him?' Kina tries to pulls her thoughts together but they refuse to come. "Damn, I need to clear my head." She gets up off the floor and stumbles to the bathroom to take a shower.

"Much better." Kina sighs and smiles at her reflection, it fades fast and she continues to try and piece together her memories, again she fails. 'I guess it wasn't real. But still, I wonder if he knows? Can it really be so hard to see? Am I that good of an actress?' Kina wipes her damp face and steps out of the bathroom. It was late and she needed sleep.

In that darkness a pair of pure white eyes lingered open. Neji was finding it increasingly difficult to sleep since he found out about his childhood friend's problem. Yes that's correct, childhood friend. One of the only friends he had in those delicate years. Even just to think about these memories seemed dangerous, as if they might be swept away in the blink of an eye, lost forever, never to return. He had to see her. He had to end this. He couldn't let her destroy those memories for the both of them. She would not destroy the brief happiness in their lives which had helped him so many times, but also brought so much pain. It was a risk, a chance that most never take, but it would be worth it if only he could. The young Hyuuga lifted his window open quietly and slipped into the moon lit yard.

Not three minutes later he quietly jimmied open her kitchen window and slipped inside.

She wasn't shaking anymore, that was good, her breathing was normal as well. Against his better judgment (which he had left back in his room) he reached out and brushed a few strands of brown from her face. The presence of moister told him she had showered recently. Besides the drug use it seemed she was taking care of herself, but would it last? Could it last? 'I don't even know what I'm doing here. I shouldn't have come.' He thinks and turns to go. A tug on his sleeve makes him look back. Kina's green eyes gaze into his.

"What are you doing here Neji?" She asks with a smile and tries to sit up. He gently pushes her back down, thankfully she doesn't resist. "Worried about me?"

"Sorry I woke you." She shakes her head slowly.

"You didn't, I haven't been sleeping so well." She breaths deeply and looks to her clock. "God it's two already…"

"Go back to sleep."

"I've been trying for the past four hours."

"Oh…"

"This reminds me, of the time we would sneak out and go out to Training Ground 5, sit back and try to name all the constellations."

"You would always beat me."

"Seems fair, you were better at everything else."

"That's not true."

"Is so," Kina sits up immediately. "You never fought me seriously after you put me in the hospital the one time."

"The first time." Neji reminds her. "It's not my fault, you weren't prepared to fight me. I'm too fast for you."

"Yes but you shouldn't have let me win every time after that. You should at least have beaten me up a few times to make it more convincing."

"The actress would know, right?"

"Of course."

"Maybe I can make it up to you."

"How?" Kina raises an eyebrow and pushes the covers off of her.

"We're both awake and the training grounds are empty…"

"Five, no make that two minutes." Kina stands and points to her door, indicating for him to leave. He turns away and she calls him back. "Wait. Don't, don't break in anymore. Okay?" Neji gives a short nod and leaves Kina to prepare.

"That's all?" Neji asks. He is standing across from Kina, both have their left hands held out with the backs of them touching.

"Yes, the one to pull their hand away submits the match."

"What's this called again?"

"Tension Fighting." Neji makes a mental note to teach this to his teammates before taking his adapted stance for this particular fighting.

"Ready, begin." Kina says softly and strikes out. Neji blocks and kicks. Kina kicks a second later and nearly knocks him off balance. "Don't fall over now." Kina smiles and strikes out again, swiping by his ear. He pushes his hand to her elbow and she flinches as the chakra is blocked to her arm. He smirks, Kina takes her chance to kick him in the back and aim a kick at his head. Instinct makes him pull away and Kina smiles. "You'll have to try harder then that."

"Apparently. Where did you learn this?"

"We had our own games in Wave Contry." Kina says, looking towards the ground. "Ready?" She holds out her hand and Neji retakes his position. It was a long night for both the Leaf nin…

"Hey Neji…" Lee nudges his unconscious friend

"Kina? Come on, get up." Tenten shakes Kina roughly, trying to wake her.

"You'll catch a cold out here." Lee kicks Neji harder and falls to the ground as Neji grabs his friend's ankle on instinct. "Whoa, that woke him up." Neji blinks the sleep from his eyes and looks around. Not two feet away Tenten was just rousing Kina from her peacefulness.

"What is it?" Kina mumbles.

"What were you doing out here?" Lee asks and stands.

"Were you out here all night?" Neji nods and Kina slowly gets to her feet.

"What were you doing?"

"Training." Kina answers. "Don't give me that look Tenten. I had a rough night okay?" Tenten recoils from the unfamiliar harshness.

"She's not a morning person." Neji informs them and Tenten nods, she wasn't either.

"Go eat a rock." Kina shields her eyes with her hand and stumbles back a few steps. Neji manages to grab her other hand so she doesn't fall backwards. "I have about as much balance as you did last night." She finally smiles and he frowns.

"You didn't have enough sleep." Neji pulls her towards him a little. "I'll take her home then come back to train." Neji says to his companions and leads the still half-asleep Kina back towards her apartment.

"Hey, hey, hey! Excuse you! I can walk on my own thank you very much!" Kina says offended.

"You're half asleep." Neji responds blankly.

"And you're not? Let go." She slips out of his grip and stumbles a few steps, falling over.

'She makes it seem like she's drunk…' Neji picks her up against her will and carries her back into town. Kina fights back a little bit but is too tired and eventually gives up and lets her eyes close. By the time they reach her apartment she is asleep again.

Neji shoulders her door open. 'I don't recall her being such a sleeper. Then again, things have changed since that time…' Neji lays her down and pulls the covers up. Kina moans and shifts before drifting off again.

The mid afternoon sun streams in through the window and Kina groans, opening her eyes. She glances at the clock and is surprised to find it's already five. She sits up slowly and finds her hands shaking. She knew instantly what she needed. Kina recovers the box from under her dresser and loads the needle carefully.

Just as she touches the cool tip to her skin her door opens and Neji steps in. Both freeze their positions but neither show much expression. Kina is the first to look away as she sets down the needle. "Go on…" She looks blandly at the floor.

"Why are you doing this?"

"The all important question… surely you can see," Kina looks up at him and he sees the deadness of her eyes, he could see how empty she was. He nods quickly. "Of course you would be the one… the others are so fooled, so blind." Kina unties the tubing around her arm and drops it in the box.

"Are you so different now that you can't survive on your own?"

"I'm not weak!" Kina jumps to her feet.

"That," Neji points to the box and needle, "says otherwise." Kina sits back down, looking away again. "What does it do for you? Does it make you forget for a little while? Sure, but how do you feel when it all comes back? Does it make any difference at all?"

"Shut up! You don't know me!" Kina shouts angrily and is almost in tears.

"Really, I don't." He steps closer and leans down so their faces are almost touching. For some reason Kinas face becomes strangely hot. "But whose fault is that?" He stares at her confused green orbs for what feels like an eternity, he almost forgot to pull away. Almost but he did and left Kina in her unstable state.

"Neji…" She whispers, her body refusing to move. "Neji wait!" She stands and shouts after him but he closes her door sharply, cutting off her cry. Outside he punches the wall to release some frustration. 'I'm such an idiot! Why did I do that? I don't want to hurt her anymore. I don't want to see her cry again." He leans against the wall and glares at the ceiling as he curses himself. He knew now when their paths had broken away. The memory he had held back was now surfacing. He closes his eyes and it plays back in his head…

_Kina is crying and trying in vain to wipe away her tears, she was no older than five. "W-why did he go? H-he should h-have stayed home w-with me and momma!" She sobs. Neji looks down at the carved stone bearing her fathers name._

"_It's okay Kina-chan. I'm here. I'll protect you." He pulls her into a comforting hug._

"_B-but w-w-why!" She locks her arms around his neck and he just stares at the cold stone. There were no comforting words he could give. All he could do was hold onto her until she calmed down. Which he did, she finally cried herself to exhaustion and fell asleep on his shoulder._

"_Don't cry Kina-chan. I'll stay, I'm your best friend remember? I won't leave you." He whispers and lets her slip from his arms so her mom can take her home._ He didn't know then that he wouldn't see her again until six years later when she was forced back to Konoha after the death of her mother. How could he know? His world fell apart after she'd gone. Not a week after she left, his father had died and it was downhill from there. He had tried to contact her but nothing… Their paths, which were once entwined, were now separated by thick trees and no matter how hard they tried; they couldn't see each other except for a few fleeting glances. Their worlds were no longer connected.

'Why does it have to be this way? Is there anything we can do? Can we make a choice? Can we change it all?'

Inside Kina stands motionless as tears drip to the ground. 'Neji… You said you would never leave… come back… I need you…' She falls to her knees and cries out all her frustration and confusion until she falls into uneasy dreams.

The next morning she filled her sink with bleach and submerged her box in it. She struck a single match and dropped it in. She watched until the inferno finally engulfed her addiction and let it waft out the window. "It's done." She extinguished the fire and rinsed out the sink. Neji was standing in the door way, he had been there for a while.

"What are you going to do now?" Kina shakes her head.

"Just live I guess, see where my path goes." She answers simply. She hadn't really thought about how she wanted her future to turn out, as long as she was happy it really didn't matter.

"Then let's go live." Neji tilts his head to the side and smiles at her. She smiles back. They leave the building and start walking along a path outside of the village. Unconsciously, Kina was taking them down the path to her meeting spot.

"Brought a friend this time?" The hooded figure flickers into view about fifty feet away.

"Cypress…" Kina breathes.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon. Give your friend a sample? Or did you have a party?" He laughs coldly.

"No, I'm off." Kina shakes her head.

"Off? What do you mean Kina?" Cypress tries to gain familiarity by using her name, to gain her trust.

"I'm quitting. No more." Kina retains her stern glare.

"I suppose he's making you huh?" Cypress steps forward a little. "What did he tell you? That you were hurting yourself? Do you remember what it was like before me? Don't you remember why you came to me in the first place?" The anger was rising in his voice. Internally Kina was scarred but on the outside she was stone.

"I don't need you anymore. I've found my path."

"Your path?!" He spits in a disgusted and frustrated voice. "You've gone to long without a shot my dear. I guess I'll have to remind you of our arrangement." He voice turns to ice and Kina doesn't have time to react before he leaps at her. Neji however knew what was coming and tackles her to the side. "I'll deal with you soon enough." Cypress growls and points a shaking finger at him. The needle he tried to stick Kina with lay broken in the dirt.

"No, you'll deal with me now." He says and takes his fighting stance. Kina quickly gets to her feet and takes hers as well.

"Kina dear, look at him, he's brainwashed you against me. Come here and I'll make you a better deal than what I normally give. Huh? What do you say?"

"Go. To. Hell." Kina says in a deathly tone and strikes out. Fists and kicks fly back and forth. Kina pulls out two kunai and aim them at her opponent but he is too fast and slashes at her back. "Ah!" She cries out and rolls to the dirt. "Damn…" She curses and Neji instantly picks up the battle.

It didn't take long at all. Neji activated his Gentle Fist and Cypress was dead before he could cry out in pain. Kina lifts herself slowly and Neji makes sure Cypress is dead before helping her up. "Thank you. I shouldn't have gotten you into this."

"It was nothing. I was helping a friend." Neji responds. Somehow those words stung Kina, but why she could not pin-point.

"I guess I have some explaining to do, to everyone." Neji nods and she takes a step forward. Pain shoots up her back and she falls to her knees. She manages not to cry out but a whine and small whimper worm their way into the air. Neji looks down at her. "I know it hurts, you don't have to hide it from me."

"I don't want you to see me in pain anymore. I don't want you to feel pain from my pain." What was this feeling in her chest that made her feel so light headed. Neji holds out his hand, a faint pink tinting his cheeks. Now she knew, they knew…

"We'll make it. With or without the pain." Kina takes his hand and he pulls her up. A smile, small as it was, graced both of their faces as they walked down the path home.

The dirt roads, every day it's different. Maybe dark or light, maybe wet or dry, maybe blowing up in your face or staying still, there might even be trash here and there. But no matter how long it is or who's on it, the dirt road always comes to an end, always. But, as long as they were together, neither of them cared how long or hard the road was or where it ended. As long as they had each other somehow everything else paled in comparison, the road didn't matter anymore because, for them, it was the same.

Yeah, I had a hard time ending it but there it is. This was totally Kina's fault too. She was all like "You need to write a story about drugs" And she wouldn't stop bugging me about it. Then my muse thought it was a good idea too and this is what happened! I wrote this a month or two ago and forgot to upload it but tell me what you think. Jsut a "Hi I read your story" would be great! (not many people review or give me nice messages) :((


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